Census estimates show six years of growth in Taylor County

For the sixth year in a row, Taylor County’s population grew in 2009 — to 127,683, up more than 1,000 residents from 2008, newly released U.S. Census figures show.

Eleven of the Big Country’s 23 counties experienced population gains over the one-year period, while 12 lost population.

While Taylor County’s gain of 1,032 residents was the largest and constituted 58 percent of the Big Country’s 1,770-resident increase, Jones County (Anson, Stamford, Hamlin) was the biggest loser, dipping 105 residents from 2008 to 2009 and continuing a slide from 20,785 residents in 2000 to 18,961 in 2009.

The census releases the totals, which were made available Tuesday, based on estimated population as of July each year.

Taylor County Judge George Newman said he couldn’t exactly put his finger on the reason for the county’s growth.

One reason, Newman said, could be the result of the wind industry bringing jobs to the area and temporary workers associated with it choosing to stay even after their work is done.

Other reasons, he said, could be “overflow from larger cities” or people choosing “our quality of life over the rat race.”

“I’ve heard more of that lately,” Newman said, referring to people moving to the Abilene area to enjoy the way of life. “A large number of people find Abilene a fine place to settle.”

Positives, Newman said, include the “10-minute peak traffic hour” and the fact that “it’s a great place to raise a family,” including a landscape that features quality public schools and colleges and universities.

“The wind energy along with other industries in the area have indeed brought people to Abilene,” said Robert Calk, president of the Abilene Board of Realtors. “I do not believe that we are seeing an exodus from rural to suburban by land/farm owners. We may be seeing a disconnect of the family returning to the farm after college.”

Other communities that have benefitted from wind energy, Calk said, are Sweetwater and Snyder.

Nolan County (Sweetwater) gained eight residents from 2008 to 2009, slowing a decline in population from 15,802 in 2000 to 14,917 last year. Scurry County (Snyder) gained 200 residents between 2008 and 2009, although it was down 139 residents during the 2000s.

In addition to Taylor and Scurry counties, Big Country counties experiencing the most one-year growth included Erath (Stephenville) with 391, Howard (Big Spring) with 343, Stephens (Breckenridge) with 112, and Mitchell (Colorado City) with 106.

Overall, there was 0.45 percent growth among the 23 Big Country counties, less than the nearly 2 percent population growth statewide but seemingly welcome news in the region that experienced a 1.39 percent loss in population — from 400,540 to 394,968 — between 2000 and 2009.

While Big Country counties lost 5,572 residents during the 10-year span, Texas gained 3.9 million residents, upping the total number from 20.8 million to 24.8 million.

Lloyd Potter, director of the Texas State Data Center housed at UT-San Antonio, said the increase in state growth likely is the result of babies being born and people moving into — for job and other reasons — the geographic triangle that runs from Dallas-Fort Worth to Austin and San Antonio, over to the Houston area and then back up.

Tom K. Smith, executive director of the West Central Texas Council of Governments, said the I-35 corridor has experienced explosive growth as people, especially out-of-staters coming to Texas, look for jobs.

“It’s just an economic fact,” Smith said.

Smith said he hopes that once people locate in Texas and eventually start looking around, the Big Country will become appealing, noting it is a “great area” to attract retirees and others due to its quality of life.

In the Big Country, 19 of the 23 counties experienced losses in residents from 2000 to 2009, while four — Brown, Callahan, Erath and Taylor — experienced gains.

According to census figures, 1,824 of the Big Country’s 5,572 loss in residents for the 10-year span — or roughly 33 percent — was in Jones County. Another 1,325 were lost in Runnels County (Ballinger) and 1,091 in Haskell County (Haskell).

According to Smith, people in his office have speculated about the reason for the population shifts, but haven’t come up with one specific reason.

“It’s kind of a complex issue,” Smith said. “Each county is a little different.”

Some in rural counties, Smith said, choose to move to larger communities for health care reasons.

On a positive note, Smith said, he is seeing people locate to communities in the region because of cost of living, including low housing costs.

Additionally, Smith said, the wind industry and resurgent oil and gas drilling have truly helped. He said he now expects more jobs to be created from the construction of electric transmission lines.